Sunday Picnic and Doll-Like Figures

"Sunday Picnic", Watercolor, pen and ink. 2017.

Every new piece is a learning experience, but with this one in particular I feel like I finally figured out how to use watercolors to create the details and effects I wanted. With previous pieces I used pencil and ink to create definition on top of the initial watercolor wash, but for this piece graphite pencil was kept to a minimum and I tried to rely only on layering watercolors to create the depth I wanted.

Initial inking stage

Adding final watercolor touches

I was really inspired to create figures that were more "doll-like" after falling in love with the work of two artists: Higuchi Yuko and Uncle Cat. Anthropomorphized animals lend themselves to the addition of clothes, accessories, etc., which makes them both precious and strange, simultaneously closer to us and further into the realm of fantasy. I was interested in the sense of cuteness and the uncanny that it invokes, as well as the fluidity of abstraction that this form allows. By anthropomorphizing the figure I am forced to step away from reference photos and more realistic structures, and through this I think I was able to capture a better balance of "kawaii" and "creepy".

I would love to know whether you prefer realistic animals or the more anthropomorphized version of them! And if you know of any other artists that create images similar in style to the two I listed here I would love your recommendations as well.